Tallest Black
by CountDimentio
Summary: Zim and Dib find the body of an ancient Tallest on their vaction. She comes back to life and they find out things no one ever knew about her. ZADR, possible violence in later chappys. T just to be safe. OC warning.
1. Chapter 1

Tallest Black

Chapter 1

You have found the story of Tallest Black. An Invader with a clouded past. No one knows her real name or where she even came from (she did not originate on Irk). She was a wonderful leader and stayed tallest for many years, until she disappeared one morning. No one has found her body, yet.

Zim and Dib were zooming along in the sky. They were had given up trying to kill eachother a long time ago and had made a truce. They were going on vacation together. Gir was in the back of the ship, sleeping with his rubber piggy. Dib was looking out the window at the land below. Zim had taken his disguise off after they had left the city. "So, where are we going?" Dib asked. "Somewhere on this planet that I've researched and I think that you will like." Zim said as he set the destination. Dib looked at what he typed in. "Sombra Island?" Dib said out loud. "I looked it up on a Government computer and saw that the island was unpopulated by you humans. It also said that it had wonderful beaches." Zim said putting the ship on auto-pilot. "It is unmarked on regular human maps." Dib was confused. "But you burn when water touches you. Why would go to a place surrounded by it!" Dib said. Zim leaned back in the pilot chair. "I just won't swim." He said smiling. Dib smiled and shook his head at Zim's remark. Dib turned to the window again and watched as the land started to disappear from sight and water took it's place.

A few hours later, they had arrived at the said island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The ship landed and Dib got out. He looked around at the beautiful meadow in front of him. The beach wasn't that far away. The grass swayed in the wind and made a peaceful scene. Zim then came out with a small device in his hand. Dib looked at him with a confused look. Zim threw the device out in front of them and everything you'd need for camping popped out, except for a car. Dib smiled. "Oh how original." He said. "It is." Zim said picking the device up. "It gives you anything you need." Dib looked slightly impressed, Zim knew he was faking it. "Don't give me that look." Zim smiled. "What look?" Dib said, straining to hold back laughter. Zim rolled his eyes and went inside the huge and already-put-up tent. The tent was the size of a small room and had looked like one too. Half of the room was decorated Dib's way and half was decorated Zim's way. So the room was half-black and blue and half-red and green. Dib entered the tent with Zim and was shocked with all the room. "Why does this seem bigger inside than out?" he asked. "'Cause it is." Zim answered, walking to his side of the room. Dib walked to his bed and sat on it. Zim's bed looked a lot like his only it had red and green sheets. "I thought Irkens didn't need to sleep." Dib said smirking. "I want to, so shut the hell up." Zim said also smirking. Zim laid down on his bed and shoved his face into his pillow. Dib also laid down but faced the ceiling. A few minutes passed before anyone said anything. "So what will we do today." Dib said. Zim turned his head toward him. "I don't know, exploring." "Alright, I'm up for that." Dib said. He got up walked toward the tent's entrance. "Come on." He said motioning to Zim. Zim got up and went outside with Dib. "I wonder what Gir will do when he wakes up and can't find us?" Dib thought out loud. "I'm sure he'll be fine." Zim said looking around the meadow. Zim started to walk to the West a bit. "Where should we go." He said to himself. He looked around, remembering the map he had studied so well. He turned to Dib. "Caves or beaches?" he asked. "Caves." Dib said, not caring about which one to go to. Zim then started to walk past Dib. "The caves are over here then." Dib followed Zim. "Why don't we take the ship." Dib said. "It's not a far walk. It's only, what, a quarter-mile?" Zim asked himself. "What!" Dib complained. "Oh come on, Dib! You humans are _so_ lazy!" Zim teased.

After a bit of walking, the grass started to disappear and rocks had started to replace them. Then caves started to appear. The biggest ones reached a height of probably 40 feet high. Zim saw a huge 40 foot one and wanted to go inside. But Dib was sitting down, resting, and Zim knew that they shouldn't separate. "Come on, Dib-stink. Get up!" he half-joked half-teased. "Zim, please don't say you're gonna call me that on this whole vacation." Dib moaned. "No. Now get up. This one seems interesting." Zim said. Dib sighed and followed Zim in the cave.

It was dark and moist. Water dripped from the ceiling and it had many passageways. Zim and Dib stayed close together so as not to get lost. They got to a large chamber with some light and the two began to look around. Dib was looking at wall decorated with crystals. Zim was shifting through a pile of rocks. He then saw a strip of ripped black cloth. He picked it up and examined it. It was much different then human cloth yet it closely resembled Irken cloth. It looked like the cloth that a Tallest would wear… He dug through the pile faster and came to another piece, only more of it was still buried. Zim pushed the rocks away from that area and saw that the cloth was part of a whole outfit that was still buried. He dug through the pile as fast as he could and finally he hit the jackpot. He found a part of someone's still buried body and it was hand. But not just any hand, it was the hand of a Tallest. Zim could tell that by the piece of clothing covering all but the fingers of the hand. The style was ancient though and the color of it was black. Only one Irken Tallest wore black. Zim couldn't believe it. He had found the body of the famous Tallest Black.

"Hey, Zim. I found something." He heard Dib say. "What did you find." Zim dug toward the head in caution. He dug to her armor and he stopped to feel it. It smooth despite being under rocks for thousands of years. He dug up to her neck and carefully pushed the rocks off her face. Her face was not scratched at all. Her expression was peaceful. Zim seemed to tremble at the sight of the Tallest. He touched her green skin. It was soft, she had always kept it that way, and cold. "Tallest Black." He whispered. "Zim?" Dib looked over at Zim who was shaking with fear. Dib stopped what he was doing and went over to him. He kneeled down next to him and put his arm around his shoulder. "Are you alright!" he said franticly. Zim pointed to the Tallest body. Dib stared shocked. "Who is that?" he whispered. "Tallest Black." Zim mouthed. "What." Dib said. "Tallest Black." Zim said.

Just then, at the sound of her name, the Tallest opened her jet-black eyes. She looked toward Zim. Zim stopped trembling and just stared, eyes bugging out of his head. He then fainted in Dib's arms. Tallest Black pushed the rocks off her and sat up. Her armor shone in the little light as if it had been polished. Dib stared at her as she got up and dwarfed him in size. Still holding the fainted Zim, Dib stood up bravely. Black looked down on him and touched his shoulder. She smiled and Dib could tell that she was thankful for being wakened. She touched Zim's shoulder also and lifted his head toward her. She took him out of Dib's arms and cradled him in her own. She put her finger on his chin and he opened his eyes. He stared at her like a ghost. She smiled and tickled under his chin. Zim laughed and tried to push get away from her finger. She played with him as a mother would do with a child. Dib looked on, shocked. This was _so _not how a Tallest would act. She stopped tickling Zim and looked into his eyes. Zim forgot about how she was a Tallest and curled up in her warm arms. Zim looked up at her with content-filled eyes. "You remind me of my brother." She said in a snake-like voice. Dib looked at her with surprise as she spoke in that voice. He finally spoke up. "Is that how you talk?" he asked. She turned to him. "Yes." She answered.

She then, without warning, scooped Dib up in her arms with Zim. She seemed to float out of the room and to the entrance of the cave. Her black eyes met Zim's and she immediately set off to their camp. Dib looked at Zim with a confused look. "She can read minds by just looking into someone's eyes." he said to him. Zim felt at home with the Tallest. Dib did too. He felt so at home that it was kind of scary to him. She made no noise as she basically warped across the island. She set the two down at the campsite.

Just then, Gir came out of the ship. He looked at Black with his cute blue eyes. Black smiled at the cuteness. "Who is she!" Gir said. "I am Tallest Black." She said. Gir looked her over. "Are you emo!" Gir said. "_Gir!_" Zim snapped. "That's ok." The tallest said. She turned back to Gir. "No, are you?" she said. "No." Gir said. Black saw the rubber piggy that Gir was holding. "What's that." She said pointing to the pig. "This is my newest piggy! His name is Oinker!" Gir said holding out the pig. Black had done this many times with her little brother, it was a new stuffed animal every time. "O' really?" she said. "Ja really!" Gir said. "No wai!" she said. She was the only Irken who ever spoke internet slang. She did it very well too. Zim and Dib just stared as the Tallest behaved like a child. Just then, "I'm hungry." Said Dib. Zim looked at him. "That was sure as hell random…" "Yeah." Dib said. They were silent. "Where are we going to get food?" Dib asked. "That's a brilliant question." Zim said. Dib looked at him with shock and fear. "You mean to say that we have _no food_!" Zim looked back calmly. "Oh no. I didn't mean **that**. I meant that your question was something that even I would say." Dib looked away. "Oh…" Zim walked to the back of the ship and fiddled with a compartment above the engine. "In fact," he said, opening the compartment. "We have enough right here." Dib walked over to him and looked in the compartment Zim had just opened. It was filled to the brim with food, both human and irken alike. Dib could tell that they were going to be full tonight.

The fire was going and Gir was all ready cooking a hotdog on a stick over it. The night was young and stars shone bright unlike the new moon. Zim was trying to impale a hotdog on a stick but kept failing and almost taking his hand off. "Dib, your human customs are so hard to follow! I can't get this hotdog on the stick!" he snapped. Dib sighed and rolled his eyes. "Let me help you." He said getting up. He sat behind Zim and took his hands. He moved them as he would and successfully impaled the hotdog. Tallest Black saw the two and tried to hold back laughter. It came out as a hack-snort. Zim and Dib looked at her in confusion. The two then realized what they were doing and blushed severely. Dib was pressing his chest into Zim's back and Zim was holding Dib's hand and leaning his head on his neck a little. But the two liked it so much that they didn't want to stop. Dib let go of Zim's hands and, instead, put them around Zim. He dug his face into Zim's neck and breathed in the irken scent. Zim leaned his neck toward Dib a bit and put his hand Dib's hands around his waist. He put his other hand around Dib's big head. Gir just stared stupidly. "Master, why is Dib eating your neck?" Gir asked. Tallest Black secretly pulled the battery-charged ratio and put in a CD with romantic music. She then turned it on and turned up the volume. Zim eyed her somewhat dangerously. She giggled silently. Dib looked up at Gir. "I'm not eating his neck. Although I bet that he would taste good, I wouldn't eat him." He said. Zim smiled and picked up the stick with the impaled hotdog on it. He held it over the fire as Dib dug into his neck again, this time silently kissing it. Only him and Dib knew what he was really doing. Zim smiled and closed his eyes, still keeping a killer grip on the stick so it wouldn't fall into the fire. Black giggled as the two sat there with each other in their arms, content with sharing their warmth. Dib began to inch up his neck, toward his mouth. Zim smiled. "Not now, Dib! In the tent, when the others are asleep." He whispered in Dib's ear. Dib got the message and reluctantly got off of Zim, sitting down beside him. Zim looked around at everyone else.

"So, Black," Dib said breaking the silence. ",where are you going to sleep tonight." Tallest Black looked at him and yawned. Irkens never yawned. Their respetory system didn't allow it. "I'll sleep with Gir." She said petting Gir's head. "He seems cuddly enough." Zim was about to object when the Tallest put up her finger as a quiet symbol. "Number one, screw you, I'm Tallest, I can do whatever the hell I want. Number two, see number one." She said. Dib smiled at her comment. "Alright, your Tallest." He said.

It was after dinner and the four of them called it a night and went to bed. Black was in the backseat of the ship with Gir in her arms. She slept peacefully and so did Gir. But Irkens didn't need to sleep, Black, however, did for she wasn't an irken. She was human, just like you and me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tallest Black**

**Chapter 2**

Zim laid in his bed, thinking about the day's events. He had discovered the now living body of Almighty Tallest Black. _Wait till the Tallests find out about this._ He thought. Zim smiled at the thought of the Tallest confronting Black. She was a legendary 9 feet and 3 inches tall. Tallests Red and Purple were about 5 to 6 feet or so. The small video played in his head.

_Tallest Purple laid down on the couch in the Tallests suite. Red then burst in the room, paranoid. Purple sat up. "What's wrong?" he asked his friend. Red paced around the room and looked toward Purple. "Zim is back, and guess who he just found." Red said in a tone filled with fear. __"Who." Purple asked, confused. "Tallest Black!" "What!" "Exactly! She was supposed to be dead thousands of years ago!"__ Purple got up and went over to Red. "But, it's impossible how she came back to life! Those aliens, they killed her and brought her back to the empire and displayed her corpse for all to see!__ After kidnapping her, that is…__" Red looked toward the floor and his antenna drooped , lost in thought. "I know, it said so in the legends." His antenna perked up as remembered something he had learned when he was a smeet. "__It also said in the legends that they took her body away and no one has found it! Tallest Black's partner in reign, Tallest Kez, said that any one who found her body would be declared as Tallest beside her or after her, if she died before Black was found!" Red looked at Purple with wary eyes. "This means-" "That Zim could be declared Tallest beside us!" Purple finished his sentence. "Yes." Red sighed. __Purple tried to create plans on how to kill Zim at Red's comment. He started pacing. "We could kill him! Eject him into space in a distant galaxy! Shoot him! Stab him! Pry his pack off! We can't let him be a tallest! He'd ruin the empire!" Purple almost yelled, zooming around the room._

Zim could just see the image… He smiled and laughed evilly in his head. He knew the Tallest would have to let him reign. Tallest Kez had put it in the law. '_If any irken, short or tall, would find an irken tallest, they would reign. But it had to be stated that there was a search out for the tallest in order for it to work. __The tallest needing searching doesn't need to be alive, for we would give them a proper ceremony to their deathbed. The reigning Tallests have no power with or against this law, this law cannot be changed or erased to fit a Tallests' or an irken's wishes._' That is what the law stated. Zim couldn't wait for his next electronic meeting with the Tallests…

Black laid on her back inside Zim's ship, Gir curled up in her arms. She cradled him like a child would a teddy bear. Thoughts streamed through her head. What would the irkens do? Who were the current Tallests? What would _they_ do when she returned? Who they give their throne to her? What would they do when they found out she was human… After a Tallest returned from a trip or from being kidnapped, they doctors always checked the Tallest's blood. They had never checked her blood before and human DNA was recognized as well as irken DNA in their computer. Irkens wouldn't risk their pure bloodline being messed up by human DNA and would destroy any trace of it. They would take out the human DNA in an irken, but there was so much in Black that it would kill her to take it out. They would have no choice but to murder their own Tallest.

Tears formed in Black's tear ducts. She let them loose and they flowed down her green skin. Her skin didn't burn, for she was mostly human. Her chest heaved as she sobbed and she put her hand on her face, closing her eyes. Gir was wakened by the noise she made. He looked up at her with confusion. "Why are you crying?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. Black looked at him through her fingers. He tried to wrap his arms around her to comfort her as best as he could. "I don't wanna die, Gir. I can't let them kill me." Black sobbed as though talking to herself. "Who's gonna kill you?" Gir asked with more confusion. Black didn't answer him, though. Instead she picked him up and put him on the floor, she then sobbed louder than ever. Gir, for once, knew what to do. He scurried toward the front of the ship, opened the door and scurried to the tent just outside, Black's sobbing was heard from inside the ship. Gir was getting Zim.

Zim sat up in his bed talking to Dib. The two were just getting into a good conversation when they heard the door to the ship open and someone sobbing their eyes out. Zim heard a squeaking noise and knew it was Gir running to them. Sure enough, Gir tripped on the tent flaps and fell in. He got up quickly and scurried over to Zim, pulling on his master's clothes. "Master! Black is sad and she won't stop crying! She says that someone is gonna kill her! Who is it! Master! Who is it?" Gir cried franticly. Zim looked at Dib with a let's-go-quick look on his face. Dib got the message and followed as Zim went out of the tent. The three of them, Zim, Dib and Gir, could hear Black sobbing in the ship. Zim rushed inside, for fear that the skin of his Tallest was burning off as I speak. Dib followed close behind, dragging Gir along. Zim was the first to find Black, she was curled up in a ball on the couch he had installed in the back. Tears were scattered in puddles on the couch and Black was the source. Zim was surprised not to see her steaming though. He sat beside her, avoiding the tears as best he could, and tried to calm her by speaking to her. "What's wrong?" he asked, sounding like a therapist. She sat up, her back still facing him, and was hunched over her lap. "When I go back, they're gonna kill me!" she choked out through her sobbing. "Who's gonna kill you." Zim replied gently. Zim was wonderful in battle, but he could be quite gentle at times. "The empire!" Black half-wailed half-sobbed. "They'll kill me when they find out I'm human!" Zim then stopped dead, his jaw slight dropped. He couldn't say a thing. Almighty Tallest Black was human! **The** Almighty Tallest Black! Human! He couldn't move, he was so shocked. The greatest and tallest irken leader in invader history was actually a human.

That was when Dib entered the room. He saw Zim partly paralyzed, Black sobbing her eyes out and immediately knew that something was wrong. "What happened." He said. Zim still couldn't speak, therefore he couldn't tell Dib what had happened. Black looked at Dib. Tears ran down her face. Dib sat in front of her. "What happened to Zim." Dib stated. Black saw Zim partly paralyzed from her confession. She then looked back at the human. "I told him my secret." She whispered tears slowly escaping her. "And what's that." Dib somewhat asked. Black hesitated for about 10 seconds. "I'm human." Dib was shocked, but not paralyzed as Zim had been. He had wondered why he felt so attached to her! She was human too! Black began her story. "I was one of the Egyptian palace servants back when your 'Jesus H. Christ' was born."

* * *

I'm sorry I wasn't on FFN for a long time! New chappy is coming! '_The days of Old_ ' That's what it's called. R&R! 


	3. Chapter 3

Tallest Black

The Days of Old

An Egyptian maid scurried through the palace. She was only about 12. Her black hair flowed behind her as she ran barefoot. She was very quiet as she ran, though, she couldn't even her herself. That was probably because her heart was beating out of her chest.

She flew down the halls with amazing speed. The hieroglyphics on the walls whizzed past her. She knew it was coming. It whispered to her in her mind. "_I'm coming…_" she heard it whisper in it's snake-like voice. It wasn't far from her. She heard the voices of the palace guards. Her jet-black eyes darted around for a place to hide. "_You can't hide from me…_" She heard the voice again. "I'm not trying to escape _you! _It's the guards! They might catch me!" she thought back to it. The voice didn't reply. The girl saw a crevice where one of the menservants had cracked the wall when trying to pry off something. She honestly had no idea what the thing was but it had to be big in order to make a crack _that_ big! She quickly slipped in the crevice, pulling her white 'dress' in with her. The two guards walked past. They were talking about their wives' and how they made good food. One of them said that their wife made wonderous roast duck. Once they past her, she slipped out and rushed down the hall again. She came to a place where four halls met. One led to the throne room, one led to the guard room, one led to the dungeon and the other led from where she came from. If she picked one that didn't lead to the throne room, she would be in big trouble. _"Use your power, child. That is what started this in the first place." _The girl scowled as the voice kept ordering her. She then closed her eyes and her face was cleared of emotion. She lifted her head up to the ceiling and she touched her two index fingers together. She slowly moved them away from each other and blue electricity zapped between them. The electricity sent out a bright light which maneuvered around the palace. The light was invisible to everyone but the girl and the voice that spoke to her. The light made out a full map of the palace in the girls mind and she chose the right path. She kept her eyes closed to still see the map and she made her way into the throne room safely.

"You've finally made it." She opened her eyes and the map disappeared. There, sitting on the throne in the elevated part of the room, was a dark figure. It stood up in her presence, having respect for her. The figure was tall and wore an unusual outfit. The outfit was red and black and it constricted his stomach. It had a square-ish head and green skin. It had no hair and seemed to have long antenna coming out of it's head! "I glad we could finally meet, and so soon." It said. It sounded like the voice she heard in her head, yet voices were always different in person. By the voice, you could tell the thing was a male. He stared at her with red jelly-ish eyes. He stepped down the gold-leafed steps that led to the throne and stood in front of the girl. He smiled at her beauty and cocked his head to the side, about to ask something. "Tell me, what was your name again?" he asked. The girl answered in a quite voice. "Lena." She said. The creature smiled and fixed is head position. "I knew it. You weren't Egyptian at all! You're from Italy!" He said triumphantly. The girl hung her head, her face concealed by her hair, and smiled. The creature, thinking the girl was ashamed, lifted the girl's head and smiled at her. The girl immediately turned her smile into a frown when the creature lifted her head.

Just then, yelling was heard and so were rushing footsteps. The guards were coming. The girl took the creatures hand and led him from the throne room out into the hall. They ran down the hall and turned right at meet in two halls. The girl used her power only while running and helped guide the creature to the courtyard, she opened her eyes once there. The creature pulled out a black square with a small green button and a big red button on it. He pressed the green button and a giant black machine appeared in front of them! Something similar to a door opened on it and the creature hurried her inside. The door shut and the creature rushed to another room.

The girl walked to another room and found and window. The machines engines started up and the machine took off. The girl stared out the window as her planet gradually got smaller and eventually disappeared from sight.


	4. Chapter 4

Tallest Black

Chapter 4

Black had stopped crying and told Zim and Dib her story of how she was brought to Irk. Zim wasen't paralized anymore and was very interested in the story. "Why did he want you? How did he even find you?" he asked. Black looked at the floor. "Only he would know. He didn't tell me." she said. "What happened after he brought you to Irk?" Dib asked. Black looked up at him, her black eyes seeming like an abyss of lonliness and depression. "He geneticly altered my body so I looked like an Irken smeet. He told the empire that I was his child and that I should be looked after with care." she answered. She looked back at the floor. "For Irkens, I grew extremly fast in my young years as a smeet. By the time I wasen't considered a smeet, I was already 6 inches shorter than a current Tallest would be." She sighed and looked out the window, being distracted by the moon for a second. "I was sent to private lessons to train to be an Invader. The classes had about three students in them, for of course we had to learn about teamwork. I met Kez there. We were best friends from the start. She had no idea that i was human." A tear rolled down Black's face. "I remeber one time she caught me crying and saw that I wasen't burning. She asked why that happened and if I wasen't really Irken." she said, her voice trembling. "I lied and said that I was Irken. I lied to my partner, commrade and best friend. I've never forgotten that day."

Zim leaned over and placed his hand on Black's with care, not wanting her to cry. But, as he leaned over, his elbow accidently touched one of the puddles of tears, getting wet. The sting of it made him jump back. "Yeow! Shit!" he snapped as the water burned him a bit. The random act brought Black's spirits up a bit and she looked over at him. Zim was franticly trying to wipe of the few tears on his elbow while getting more on his leg. The sight would make anyone or thing, for that matter, laugh. Therefore, Black and Dib burst into laughter at the sight of it. "Not funny!" Zim half-laughed, trying to deny the fact that even he thought it was amusing. This made them laugh even harder. For that molment, everything seemed well again. But, everytime everything seems good, it all goes to ruins somehow.

Black sat in the grass, fiddling with a blade. The sun was high in the sky and warmed her up. A brezze snaked through the meadow and the grass shifted a bit. Black let her anntenne sway in the wind and closed her eyes. She called pictures in her mind of Earth when she had last seen it. It had been a wonderful place, despite the wars, and she had loved every bit of it. Her favorite places then had to be the Nile and the tip of Italy, where the land met the the sea. She had always loved water, even on Irk where it was extremly dangerous just to carry it around in public. The Tallest that had brought her to Irk had ordered the construction of a pool undertheath her room if she got homesick and desired water. The Tallest that had take her under his wing had been Tallest Red's great great great grandfather. She didn't know that, though. Not even Red knew that.

Black heard someone walking toward her and opened her eyes. She looked to the side and saw Dib walking toward her. He stopped when he saw her looking at him. She looked into his eyes. _Shit. i hope I didn't disturb her! Please don't tell me she's pissed at me now! _she heard him think. "Don't worry. I'm not mad. Although, I do hate being disturbed." she said, smiling. She heard Dib sigh and he walked up to her, sitting down beside her. "Zim's planning to fly to Irk soon." he said. Black looked up, fear tainting her black eyes. "Don't worry, we won't let them kill you." he said reasuringly. "That's what every friend says, and it ends up happening." Black sighed, looking away. "Hey," Dib said, turning her head toward him. ", I'm serious. They try one move and I'll rip their heads off." Dib tried to keep a serious look, but cracked a smile. Black did the same and both laughed.

After a bit, the two got up a went to Zim's ship. Zim was packing up the tents and took out the device that he had used to get the items. He pressed a button and the items seemed to be sucked into the device. He hopped into the ship and put it in a special compartment near the pilot's seat. He looked out the door to see Black and Dib coming. Zim noticed Gir skip up the stairs and hop on the couch in the back of the ship. "Hey, slow people!" he called to Black and Dib. "Move or I'm leaving without you!" He snickered a bit when Black called back. "I'm coming you little whipersnapper!" she caled back, walking slow and pretending to use a cane. Dib cracked up laughing at her answer to the call.

Black and Dib got in the ship. Dib sat in the passengers seat and Black in back with Gir. Zim pressed a button on the control board and the steps leading in the ship folded up so it wouldn't interfer with the flight. He started up the engine and made the ship hover about the ground. He pressed another button and the landing gear when up. He the 'steering wheel' of the ship, which looked like the ones in planes and slowly pulled it back, causing the ship to move up. He pressed a button on the control board and the ship started to move forward. It was slow at first, but gradualy sped up. Zim pushed the steering controler forward and the ship soared upward. After a few minutes, they were starting to move out of the Earth's atmousphere and stars were starting to be seen. They were heading to Irk.


	5. Chapter 5

**Tallest Black**

**Chapter 5**

Red and Purple sat in their designated chairs in the control room of the Massive. Red was daydreaming and casually slurping on his Irken soda while Purple munched on a donut and read an awfully thick book. Red's gaze shifted to the entrance to the room where a few workers were leaving for break. A few more entered, taking the others place. Just then, a computerized voice was projected around the room. "Incoming report from Earth." it said. Purple was startled from the loudness and suddeness of the voice and jumped a bit, dropping his book. Red, not startled by the voice however, groaned. He hated getting calls from Zim. Purple leaned over and picked up his book, folding the corner of the page he was on and closing it. The large screen not too far away from them flashed to life and an image of Zim in his ship was showen. "Greetings, my Tallests!" Zim said, imediatly saluting them. "Hello, Zim." Red groaned, not trying to hide his displeasure. Zim's once cheerful expression turned to one of a child creating an awfully evil plan, that child liking the plan as well. "As you can see, I am heading back to the Massive." he said. Red almost choked on his soda and Purple accidently swallowed his donut whole. "What!" Red squeaked. Zim smiled evily. "I have found something more interesting than the ability to rule a planet." he smiled evily. Purple sucessfuly swallowed the donut without choking. "And what might that be!" he snapped. Zim looked off-screen. "Black!" he called to someone on the ship. "I would like you to meet my Tallests!" Red held back a gasp as Tallest Black entered the live video. Purple, however, didn't care to hold one back. Black stared at the Tallests with a confused expression. "My, my." she sighed. "Tallests have gotten much shorter since I reigned." She sighed again and flicked her anntenne. Purple looked over at Red. They both knew that they were thinking the same thing. Red stared again at Black and Purple stared at the floor. "I guess that law finnaly has a reason to exsist now." Purple sighed. He looked up at Zim. "Come as soon as you want then." he said, a blank expression flushing his face. Zim's evil smile became so wide that it seemed to go on for a mile. He was going to be a Tallest.

Black floated down the halls of the Massive. Zim walked triumphantly next to her and Dib walked next to her, seeming to protect her. Invaders stopped and stared at her as she floated past. Images flashed through Black's mind. They were images from when she was reigning the empire. Back then, the Invaders weren't as uptight as they are now. She guessed that the training and discipline was harsher. Her and Kez had always believed that happier, friendlier Invaders made a more workable force and, therefore, created a better empire. The attitude of these Invaders was pitiful and it made Black angry. She didn't show it, though. The sooner she met the Tallests in person, the better.

Black, Zim and Dib got to the meeting room. The guards stepped in front of Dib, not allowing him to enter. Zim turned to Dib. "I'm sorry Dib, but humans aren't allowed in the meeting room." he said to him. Dib scowled at the guards but looked up at Black with confidence. _Don't worry. I'm positive Zim won't let them bring any harm to you. I'll be right out here if you need me._ Black heard Dib think when she looked into his eyes. She smiled at him and he stood with the guards. She waved 'goodbye' to him and her and Zim entered the room.

The room was dimly lit. There was a table in the middle of the room with four chairs to sit in. Zim sat down but Black prefered to 'stand'. She heard another door open on the other side of the room and, after a bit, heard it shut. She saw the current Tallests enter the range of light. The Purple one seemed to be shivering, not from the cold but from either excitment or fear. They sat down and Black finally decided to sit next to Zim. She looked over the Tallests. She dwarfed them in size by a mile. "So, I'm guessing we have come to talk about the law you were talking about. Tell me, what does it say?" Black said. Purple looked away for a second before speaking up. "It says, '_If any irken, short or tall, would find an irken tallest, they would reign. But it had to be stated that there was a search out for the tallest in order for it to work. The tallest needing searching doesn't need to be alive, for we would give them a proper ceremony to their deathbed. The reigning Tallests have no power with or against this law, this law cannot be changed or erased to fit a Tallests' or an irken's wishes._'" Black didn't show emotion on her face. She just flicked her antenne gently. But, inside, she was greatly touched that Kez would do that for her. So touched that she almost cried. "I'm surprized that Kez made that law for me." she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "The law applies to all Tallests and Irkens," Red said, slightly glaring at her for being what he thought as self-centered in that comment. ", not just you." Black looked at Red, staring deep into his eyes. They were extremly familar, but she didn't know who they reminded her of. Then it hit her. He was the great-great-great grandchild of the Tallest that had taken her from Earth! Her eyes widened with shock. "What's wrong, Black?" Zim asked. Black stayed silent. Purple stared at her, confused. "Yeah. What's wrong? What are you so worked up about?" he asked. Again, Black said nothing. She just stared into Red's eyes. Red's glare disappered, replaced by a neutral-look. Black gained the same neutral-look at the same time. Just then, their eyes both went white, the shine disappering from them. Zim and Purple were now offically freaked out. Purple teasned up, ready to run with Red if things got weird. Zim also teasned up, scratching the table accidently with his sharply pointed fingers. The Tallests were having a mental conversation.

Black opened her eyes, looking around a weird world. The sky was a mix of moving colors and there was no ground. But despite the lack of it, she felt something solid underneath her feet. Someone else appered not too far away. They looked up at her. It was the Tallest that had taken her. "Telkor." Black hissed the Tallests's name. "Black." The other Tallest greeted her with a somewhat friendly tone. "I can see your back to your bitchy self. How are you?" Black was somewhat shocked that he asked. "Well, I've defied the laws of life and death... unlike you." she sneered back. "Ah. Touche." Telkor smiled slightly. There was silence for a bit.

"Why didn't you tell me why you took my to Irk.?" Black finnally asked. Telkor was silent for a few seconds. "I knew you wouldn't like it." he said. "Why did you do it?" Black continued. There was even more silence. "I made a deal with a Vortain gypsy in my childhood. She granted me the ability to live on through my children, their children and so on if I could get a human to be a Tallest for the Irken Empire." Black gasped and was frozen. She knew he had told her that he picked her to be Tallest because he admired her special ability. He had lied to her. "Why me?" she asked. Telkor looked into her eyes. "You were the only one who was dumb enough to follow me." he stated without feeling or simpathy. This stunned Black even more and it pushed her to her limit. She couldn't hold back tears as they ran down her face. "What's wrong, Black? I thought you were a master in the Self-Control department." Telkor teased. There was silence. "You lied to me." Black finally choked up. "Yes." Telkor admited. "But you lied more to them." Just then, Kez and Black's old best friend, Marroon, appeared beside Telkor. Black could hardly breath. "Why Black?" Kez seemed to squeak. "Why didn't you tell us?" Marroon looked at Black with questioning eyes. "Yeah, Black." Marroon added to the question. "Why?" Black gasped for air under the pressure that was sufficating her just now. "He told me not to tell you!" she half-whined, half-pleaded. "I didn't have a choice! I didn't know what you would do!" "Don't blame Telkor!" Marroon snapped. "You had the freedom to tell us yourself! He couldn't possibly do anything to you!" Black couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You have no idea what he does when you disobey him!" Black cried out. "You have no idea how much it hurt to keep it from you! It hurt physicaly when I bit my tounge so hard it bled to hold it back. And when I let the secret out to a servent..." Telkor sighed, not stopping her from telling her story. Black looked up at them all, eyes glistening with tears and filled with confidence. "I told one of the servents my secret. But he didn't get to the others in time to tell them." Black stated also with no feeling. "Telkor found the servent and killed him. Later, he beat me till I couldn't move any longer for letting the secret out to someone. I never spoke of it to anyone again." There was silence.

"That's very believable." Marroon finally said sarcassticly. Black was almost struck dumb by this comment. "Yeah, extremly unbelievable." Kez added. This drove Black to tears again. They turned around and walked off, seeming to be absorbed by the colorful sky. Black dropped to her knees and sobbed into her hands. Telkor looked at her like she was a test subject and he was the evil scientist that was going to make her think that dieing wouldn't be so bad. "Now they hate you, Black." he said, thriving in her misery. "Now they hate you." Black then stopped sobbing. This startled Telkor a bit. "That wasen't them, was it..." she seemed to asked. There was a long period of silence again. "No." Telkor lied. "It was them." He turned around and walked off, smiling as he heard Black sob even louder.

The Tallests eyes went back to normal and their faces returned to normal. They both seemed to be pushed back by a force and sunk in their chairs. The Tallest and other Irken untensed and lept up to help their friends. Purple leaned down so he was level with Red and held him close like a child. Zim stood on Black's lap and held her hand while touching the side of her face. Black and Red were both breathing heavy as if they had just ran a marithon. "What's wrong, Red! What happened!" Purple cried anxiously to his co-Tallest. 'Black... Telkor... human...' was all Purple caught when Red mummbled between breaths. 'Telkor... lied... Kez... Marroon... hate...' was all Zim caught from Black between breaths. Zim and Purple exchanged looks of confusion for they heard their friends say one thing in common. "Telkor." they said in unison.

I know I haven't showen up on FFN for a long time... bite me... Well, here's Chapter 5. I hope you think that Telkor is an asshole, cause he is. He's a big asshole. I hope you like this chapter Kez!


	6. Chapter 6

**Tallest Black**

**Chapter 6**

Black laid on the couch in her Tallest suite. The suite was well designed and quite spacious. It made the person staying there feel like royalty. However, Black had been in Tallest suites for almost all her life and didn't seem to notice how nice it was. She was lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling, sweat dripping down her face. Her eyes were wide with fear as she recalled her encounter with Telkor. She couldn't blame her teammates for their actions for she would've done the same thing. But she still couldn't even begin to understand why she had believed Telkor so much. Part of her knew that her teammates in that encounter were just her mind playing tricks on her, however, the other part of her wanted to believe it was them. Even though it was almost obvious that they weren't real then, she wished that they were. That part of her didn't care what they had said. It just wanted them to be in front of her and for her to see them. For she missed them. She missed them more than anything else. They meant the world to her.

The automatic door to the suite slid open, making a whooshing sound, and two people came in. Technically, it was one person though. It was Zim and Dib.

Dib hadn't seen her since she left him to go into the interview room, so he was shocked to see her this way. He almost ran over to her and kneeled down next to the couch. The door slid shut as Zim slowly entered the room. Dib took Black's hand and wiped the sweat of her face with his coat's sleeve. "Black?!" he softly cried. Black glanced at him with her jet black, orb-like eyes. "Telkor… Kez… Marroon… My worlds…" Black replied softly, continuing to stare at the ceiling. Dib turned to Zim. "What happened to her?!" he partly snapped. Zim sighed, searching for the best explanation. "I don't know exactly but I know that her and Tallest Red had some mental conversation." He told Dib. "No one knows what the conversation was about but there was a name that both of them said after." Dib was confused. Zim looked at him out of the corner of his crimson eye. "Telkor." He finished his statement. He looked away, not wanting to see Dib's reaction. "She hasn't said anything without that word being the first thing she says." Dib's expression turned from confused to fearful and then to just pissed off. He turned back to Black, who gaze never once shifted from the ceiling. "I promised her that you would keep her safe and that no harm would come to her. She had believed me." He said, covering his anger. "Now look at her. She didn't bother to be cautious because of my promise. She thought that I could protect her. How terribly wrong she was…" Zim was surprised that Dib was blaming this on himself. He turned to his ex-enemy. "You think that this all happened because of you?!" He partly questioned. Zim sighed and walked up beside him. "Just because you did that doesn't mean that it's your fault. You had said it because you wanted to make her feel safe. Am I right?" Dib nodded and Zim continued. "Black trusted you. She walked into that room without knowing what would happen. I bet she didn't even know that you were serious. So, really, it isn't anyone's fault that the conversation happened or that it put Black in this state. It just… happened." Zim kneeled down next to him and hugged him comfortingly. "Please don't blame yourself, Dibby-kunn." He cooed softly. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Dib stared down at Black, enjoying how his ex-enemy cared so dearly for him. He watched Black's eyes as their focus darted around the ceiling. Their movement slowly and Black's eyelids began to droop. Her breathing went from shallow and panicking to slow and deep. Her eyes darted one last time. This time, she was staring straight at Dib. Her lips curled into a smile before her eyes closed and she slipped out of consciousness.

The crowds going down the halls of the Massive split as 6 guards marched down the hall. They were only partly armored but still had weapons. They carried big metal staves with a long, sharp, polished blade at the end. The other end of the staff would double as a laser gun. They marched with a perfect beat and stopped at Black's Tallest suite. The tallest guard walked forward and punched in a code on the keypad on the automatic door. The door slid open on command and the guards silently went in the dark room. The lights had been turned off for two of the residents in it were asleep. Only one of them was awake. The red-eyed irken was tiny compared to the other guards and he looked up at them with no interest as he sat on one of the three beds. The tall guard walked up to him, lightly bowing in his presence. "You are sentenced to come with us," The guard said. The little irken quietly slid off the bed and stood with a regal but uninterested feel. The other guards bowed when he stood. The tall guard looked up at him and finished his request. ", Tallest Zim."

Dib woke up to someone gently shaking him. It was as if the person shaking him really didn't want to wake him but had to anyway. He groaned a bit but finally rolled onto his back, rubbing his eyes. The person stopped shaking him after he rolled over, patiently waiting. His arm wandered over to his bedside table and snatched his glasses off it. He slipped them on and flicked open his eyes. To his surprise, he saw Black sitting on the end of his bed. Her eyes were bright and shining but, despite that, seemed to not contain her soul. She seemed like a hollow oyster with no pearl to develop inside it. She slowly turned her head and pointed slightly in the same direction. Dib looked to where she was pointing and saw Zim's empty bed. He slightly gasped when he looked around the room to see that Zim was no where to be found. Black put her arm down and watched with no emotion as Dib practically leapt out of bed and changed from his pajamas into his regular clothes. Black stood up slowly, her pak causing her to hover above the ground. She followed Dib as he rushed out of the room and tried to search for Zim.

Black took Dib's hand and guided him down the halls of the Massive. The crowds made way for her but she took no notice and zoomed past them. She slowed to a stop at a bright green door, which was highly noticeable in the blue interior of the Massive. The door didn't only stand out in color but also in size. It was so high that Black could easily go through it with having to lower her head or hit her head on it. The door slid open with the sound of escaping steam and Black eased Dib through the threshold. They had entered an Irken Military lab. The biggest kind of Irken lab there was. It was brightly lit but surprisingly empty. There were other smaller green doors that led to different wings of the lab. Black went through the door to the right of the entrance, pulling Dib along with her. The bright and large red door to the left was heavily guarded. The guards had also just happened to spot them. They readied their spears when they saw Dib but lowered them when they saw Black. She floated over to the red door, dragging Dib behind her, but stopped in front of the only guard that dared to stop her from continuing. The only one that was still standing in front of her was the tall guard that had taken Zim from Black's suite last night. She dwarfed him as he was only as high as her breast. Despite the height difference, he was rooted mentally to the place where he stood and didn't move aside. She looked down at him, staring into his eyes. "Please let me pass young one." Black requested in a singsong voice. The guard still stood there. "I have direct orders not to let anyone pass." He said in a firm voice. He glared at Dib for a moment. "Especially not humans." He looked back up at Black. Her gaze didn't shift from his eyes. "I don't want to have to use force in order to get by." She said with a more serious tone. The guard countered her threat. "No one passes, or we'll have to use force to keep you and your Earth Pig away." He growled. Dib emotionally winced at the name the guard had called him. Black now glared into the guard's eyes, her own eyes wide with and full of rage. A growl rose from her throat as she filled with anger from his comment on Dib. "What sort of force do you have that could possibly stop me?!" she hissed, a evil tone filling her voice. The guard frightened when she glared deeper into his eyes and he back away. He backed into the door and franticly raced out of her path. Black glared at him out of the corner of her black eye and her growling died away. Her eyes slowly returned from wide and full of rage to half-closed and silently threatening. The red door opened and she guided Dib through it into their last stop on their search for Zim.

This part of the lab was lit well but steamy. Black and Dib shielded their eyes from the hot, invisible water droplets in the steam with their hands. Then, there was a scream of pain and a hiss of escaping steam. Black and Dib had to close their eyes before the droplets got in their eyes. The scream subsided and the hiss stopped. They slowly opened their eyes and put down their hands as the steam began to clear. They could see the outline of a machine. A figure was strapped up on a thick metal sheet and seemed to be stretched by the machine. The thin leather-like straps were untied by the machine and released the figure. The figure slid to a sitting position on the sheet of metal like it was a bed. It slowly got up, wobbling a bit as it got used to it's now tall figure. The steam now fully cleared to reveal a Tallest-in-the-making. The tall Irken turned toward Dib and Black, revealing his identity. It was Zim, and he was in his newly made Tallest uniform of red and light pink.


	7. Chapter 7

**Tallest Black**

**Chapter 7**

Dib gasped at the sight of the tall Zim and all Black could do was stare. Zim was now Dib's exact height, meaning that they both reached up to the base of Black's neck. Zim smiled at Dib and hovered over to him, the hover app that only Tallests had now being installed in his pak. He took Dib's hands and held them lovingly. Dib could hardly speak. "Zim?! You're a- How did they- Well-" Dib cut his sentences short, not knowing what to say. "Yes, Dibby-kunn." Zim stopped him. "I'm a Tallest now." Dib wanted to say something but didn't let it out. He just grinned and pulled Zim into a hug. Black watched the two embrace, noticing that their care for each other was like none other that currently existed. Their bond reminded Black of her bonds with her teammates that she had long ago. The three of them were so close that there wasn't a word to describe the relationship. It wasn't love, unlike Zim and Dib's bond, but it wasn't friendship either. They were closer than friends, more related than a family and more committed than a soul mate. They would've done anything for each other. They all meant the world to each other. They were apart of each other. And nothing could've ever denied that. Not even the fact that Black was a human, Kez grew to be a true Tallest and Marroon stayed three and a half feet tall for the rest of her life. It was a once-in-a-lifetime bond and it could've lasted forever. That is, if they had all lived together forever. The memories of that bond and her teammates brought tears to her eyes. They were both tears of sadness, for she longed for them, and happiness, for that she knew that Dib and Zim could feel that same joy she had felt. The tears streamed down her face and she smiled, turning away. Her mind had just begun to recall what her Kez and Marroon had done when they were young when the door slid open.

She quickly wiped her tears away and turned to see who it was. Zim and Dib also turned, forced to let go of each other. There stood Tallest Red, still partly out of consciousness like Black, and a timid Tallest Purple, who was obviously not brought here by his own decision. Red glared at Black and she returned it viciously. They glared for what seemed like forever until Red finally rushed forward. He was heading straight for Black. She stopped his arm before he even moved it to hit her. "How dare you come in here without permission!" he hissed. "Why is it so wrong! I was only looking out for a friend!" Black hissed right back. Their eyes stayed locked in a death glare as they argued. "It doesn't matter if you trying to save even my own life! This area is highly restricted!" Red growled. "So you'd rather be killed than have this place been seen be my black eyes?! I'll gladly make that happen." Black smiled evilly. "Over me and my partners rule over the Irken Empire, Goth!" Red snapped at her. The goth comment had now officially ticked Black off. She swung her other arm up, trying to hit him this time, but he stopped her just in time. She gritted her teeth in frustration and glared into his eyes. They were now locked in a death glare. Still keeping their angry looks, their eyes went white, the shine disappearing from them. Purple, afraid that Red would get hurt again, rushed toward his teammate. However, he was only a foot away from him when Pur stopped. Something kept him from moving closer. It wasn't a force field or the power of fear. It seemed to be an aura. The aura was a combination of both Black's and Red's emotions. Therefore, the aura's energy itself was burning with rage. The feel of that aura seemed like the equivalent of someone holding a loaded gun to your head. Or, for Purple, someone just about to pry his pak off. He outstretched arm now trembled and retreated away from Red. Pur slowly backed out of the aura and away from his teammate, hoping that Red would be ok.

Black was in the weird world of colors again. She studied the colors more closely as she waited for Telkor and smiled. Due to the way the colors moved, Black could have said that she had just done some really good drugs. The thought of her on crack made her laugh a bit. If caffeine could make her crazy, then she would be psychotic on crack. She looked over to the right and saw Telkor moving toward her. Black's smile disappeared but she was giggling inside. "Your late." She teased. "Yeah. Bite me." Telkor answered when he stopped a couple of yards away. There was a long period of silence and Black's inner laughing died down.

"So, now that you've told me pretty much every secret you've kept from me," Black said, breaking the quietness. ", what now." Telkor smiled evilly and Kez and Marroon appeared beside him. "It's time to introduce you to your one weakness again." Black sighed at Kez and Marroon came toward her, seeming ready to dish out some insults. "It's not gonna work like it did last time, guys. You know that right?" Black said. "You wanna know why?" There was silence and Black closed her eyes, seeming to increase the tension. "I know that you're not real right now." She whispered softly so that they had to listen hard. "You're only an illusion that Telkor has projected into my head. Mere illusions." She then flicked open her eyes and noticed that Kez and Marroon weren't with Telkor. They were by her side now. Linking one of their arms with one of hers. Black looked at them, confused. "Actually, Black, we are real." Kez spoke up. "And, by accepting that the ones you had met at your first encounter were real, you've finally released us." Telkor was quickly forgotten and seemed to be waiting. "Kez is right." Marroon said. "Since we were a part of each other, our spirits were sealed inside you when our bodies died. Yet, your body had trouble accepting us as who you were and locked us away in the back of your mind." The girls then pulled each other into a group hug. "But we're out now." Kez said. "And we can stay together as long as we want."

Clapping was then heard. It was Telkor, but he wasn't happy. "Wow. How touching." He droned sarcastically. "This should be written in a story, really." He stopped his clapping as the girls looked over to him. They didn't seem to be happy anymore either. They both seemed to grimace. Even Black had expressed her displeasure more by pulling up her top lip a bit, showing her now sharp teeth. They stopped hugging and glared at him, starting to circle him like vultures. He watched them, confused, as they circled around him, seeming to plan his demise. And of a sudden, they all leapt at him at the same time. Their reflection glistened in his eyes, which were wide with fear and confusion. His screams seemed to echo around the colorful illusion.

Black and Red were still locked in their gaze and talking mentally. Purple watched on, worried for Red. Zim and Dib watched on too. Then, Red seemed to be overpowered by Black and backed up a bit without knowing it. Purple stepped forward but didn't dare to move any closer. Just then, the two Tallests came out of the mental battle. Black overpowered Red and shoved him back, throwing him off balance. Red fell and hit the ground but stayed glaring at Black, never seeming to run out of rage. Purple rushed over to Red and helped him up. Holding onto Pur to keep his balance and breathing heavy, Red grit his teeth and pointed a long bony finger at Black. "If you do something like this again, you will be banned from the entire Irken Empire and, if found, you will be killed on sight. I won't hesitate to be the one to kill you, either." He growled through closed teeth before seeming to slither out of the room with his teammate. Black, Zim and Dib seemed to stand there for an eternity before Black broke the silence. She mentally turned off the floating app on her pak and touched her feet to the ground gently, each boot making a 'tak'-like noise. She sighed and then dropped to her knees, obviously at her limit. "Then I will do the honor of meeting you in hell." She said to no one in particular before passing out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Tallest Black**

**Chapter 8**

Voices were heard, but they were just blurs of sound now. Her head spun and pain ached through every crevice in her body. She felt dizzy and nauseous. Her lungs were empty and would refuse to fill. She mentally struggled with her body, forcing it to believe it was not dead yet. Air suddenly filled her lungs and she began to breathe again. The breaths were heavy and quick but she shortened and slowed them in no time. The voices had stopped and she felt like she was being stared at. It went on for so long that she felt like eyes were burning holes into her and she flicked open her own.

Of course, her vision was extremely blurry and gave no sign of clearing up. She blinked a couple of times but she still saw a mush of color. Someone walked to her side and put a white, fabric, damp patch on her apparently naked shoulder. The coldness of the patch seemed to singe her skin and she winced. However, her sight slowly came back.

The ex-Tallest looked around the room and saw a couple of doctors at her side. At the foot of the bed were Zim and Dib. Zim smiled and took Black's hand. "It was a good thing the nearest hospital wing was right around the corner when you passed out." He said in a sweet and gentle voice. "Otherwise, you might have died." Black was surprised by that, although she defiantly didn't look it, for she had never thought such small things could kill her. She had gone through horrid tortures no one could possibly imagine and yet they hadn't killed her. _Hell,_ She thought. _, those tortures didn't even wound me that bad…._ However, she didn't know that mental battles take more energy out of you than physical battles. They are also more fatal and they don't kill you right away. Over time, they slowly rip apart your soul and sanity…

Black looked down to see that the only thing that kept her covered was a white hospital blanket. Her green cheeks blushed a darker green and Black fumbled with the blanket's edge. Dib slightly laughed at the sight. Black looked away, irritated. "Oh shut up." She mumbled. This just made the two laugh more. She smiled, though, and laughed a bit as well. After a bit of silence, Black spoke up. "So, when do I get my clothes back?"

A few weeks had passed and Black was let out of the hospital wing, fully clothed too. Zim was scheduled to meet the Tallests and discuss his reigning partner….

Zim stood in front of the current Tallests and bowed. Dib bowed as well but Black only bowed her head. Being a Tallest, Black doesn't have to bow to younger Tallests. She could either bow her head or not bow at all. But she must not bow fully, for she'd be showing submission to the younger generation and it was shunned upon to do so. The other two stood up straight at Red's wave of the hand, the signal to stop bowing.

"So, my Tallests, should I pick my partner-in-reign?" Zim asked politely. Red nodded. "Who would you like to reign with?" He asked. Zim hesitated. "I'd like to let Dib be my partner." He said. The words seemed to hang in the air for eternity. Red's expression went from calm to close to outraged. Purple put his hand on his partner's, signaling him to calm down. Red sighed and looked straight into Zim's eyes. "Of course not. No human has ever been a Tallest in all of Irken history and there never will be. I intend to keep it that way. Even the mention of that idea is quite insulting to the royal line and, according to my memory, has been outlawed to put into action." Red stood up, seeming more tall and intimidating than ever. "No, you may not and never have him as your reigning partner. The partner must be of pure Irken blood and nothing else. No exceptions!" Red seemed to growl the last sentence and sat down again. Purple sighed, for his signal had not obviously worked. Dib mentally winced at the way Red said human, as if it disgusted him. Black looked away, for she knew the royal line did indeed have human blood in it. Herself. Zim appeared to cower from fear at the Tallest's speech. He straightened up and gulped fearfully. "As you wish…" he said.

"Seeing as I need to pick an Irken of pure blood, I shall alter my choice." Zim hesitated again, glancing at Black. "I choose Tallest Black." There was silence. It seemed to last forever as Red stared deep into Zim's eyes. Dib was hurt that he couldn't have the honor of being his love's reigning partner, but he tried not to dwell on that. Black, however, was struck dumb. Why did he pick her? Why would he pick her? What compelled him to do so? What other choices did he have? Why was she his choice? Why did she stand out from the rest?

**Why her?**

The questions streamed through Black's mind and she couldn't stop to answer them all. Hell, she couldn't answer them all. All that she could've said to them was, 'I don't know'. Silence still ruled the moment yet she didn't even notice. She was off in her own little world… Off where she tried to grasp questions… Where she failed to find answers… Where her friends dwelled… Where her mental battles were fought… Where a tiny virus was planted… Where a biological atom bomb was waiting to detonate… Where she would stand… thoughtless… helpless… and oblivious… to the thing she would become…

"Fine." The word seemed to echo through the throne room. A smile spread across Zim's face and he turned to Black. She had just come out of her thoughts and smiled back at him, trying not to seem half-hearted while doing so. Dib looked away, feeling forgotten. He tried to feel happy for his favorite Irken, but he just couldn't bring himself to it. He had wanted that spot next to Zim, to be his co-Tallest. He didn't want the ability to control an empire, nothing like that. He couldn't care less if the title was being a slave. If Zim had it, he wanted to stand next to him with the same title. It sort of bonded them… as would marriage…

"You may take Black as your co-Tallest, Zim, and you may be Tallest with her for as long as you two shall live." The line seemed to singe Dib's very being. It was the equivalent to, 'You may take Black as your bride, Zim, for as long as you shall live'. He was disgusted by it. He hated it. He loathed it. He wanted it never to exist. He was jealous. Black tried to be happy but, opposing to Dib, didn't want the title. She had taken the title before and used it wisely. She had made the empire stronger than no other could. Of course, she had loved being a Tallest. But she had been forced into doing it. She had never won it herself. Just as Zim was doing. He was forcing himself into it, thinking it would be great to rule. He hadn't won it. He hadn't earned it. His rule was to be wonderful at the beginning, yet horrible at the end. And it was to be short. Just as Black's was. Zim was in for one hell of a ride…


	9. Chapter 9

**Tallest Black**

**Chapter 9**

He squirmed as he stood, extremely excited. He heard the Tallests give their speech and mouthed the last, important words. "So, we present your new Tallests: Black and Zim!" Red announced. Zim kept himself from leaping up and down as the elevator-like circle in the floor descended down to the huge room, full of every Irken on the Massive. Black stood beside him, not seeming so anxious. She had known the thrill of the opening ceremony and she had always craved it. But, now, it didn't seem so great. Not as wonderful as it had felt before. It disappointed her. Zim grinned wide and waved to his now-subjects, full of enthusiasm. He saw some of his rivals gawk and grit their teeth with fury. They couldn't believe that such a failure achieved this.

Once the elevator had reached the floor, Zim hovered over to Red and Purple, Black by his side. The speech of the other Tallests was drowned by Black's thoughts. The sound of their voices became a haze. Sort of like fog… Red then placed a sort of wreath of black, Irken flowers on Zim's head, whereas Purple placed a 'wreath' on Black's head. They both stepped aside, bowing. "A round of applause for your new Tallests!" Was heard over the intercom. Black stared out at the crowd, which was going nuts, with a blank expression. Her left antenna twitched a bit and she looked over at Zim, smiling at his happiness…

In a Tallests suite, Black rested. Zim was out doing… business and Black managed to slip away. Laying on the couch, she sipped at a slurpie. Blue raspberry. Her favorite flavor. Right when she was about to slip into imagination land, Black heard a thud from through the wall. Next to her and Zim's suite was Red and Purple's. The sound made her curious, but it was probably Red just acting up about not being Tallest anymore. More thuds. Black sat up, a bit frustrated. Red couldn't be THAT angry about his forced resign. This time, a scream. Black stood, her hover app booting up. She pretty much flew out of her suite, dropping her slushy. Outside of the suite, no one was in site. 'Strange…' She thought.

There was another thud and a pleading voice, although Black couldn't make out what it was saying. She floated over to Red and Purple's suite door and a keypad appeared before her. She typed in the code and it melding back into the door. The door then slid open, revealing a pitch black room. Black cautiously hovered inside, the darkness seeming to beckon her. A moan of pain issued from the room's dark depths and the door slid shut, leaving Black to stumble in the darkness. "Wh-Who's there…" She said, her voice wavering. There was a gasp of pain and the lights flicked on. Purple laid across the floor, his long, slender fingers retreating from the light switch. Green blood was pretty much everywhere and Purple's eyes drooped, cuts scattered across his body.

Black flung herself to her knees next to Purple. "Pur! My god! What's happened to you?!" she cried, gathering the trembling Irken in her arms. Purple coughed up blood into his hand, leaning against Black's chest. "Red.. he…" the wounded Tallest managed to spit out. "He what…" Black almost whispered. Purple's blood coated hand rested on Black's chest plate, smearing it's shiny, black surface with the green substance. "He transformed into something… Something awful…" Purple seemed to shudder. "He was angry with the whole Tallest thing… I tried to comfort him and he just… flipped out on me, turning into…" Pur's eyes focused on something behind Black and they widened. "That." He whispered.

Black turned, looking behind her. There, standing with a blood coated knife in one hand, was Telkor. Scratches littered his face, showing that Purple had put up a fight. Sadly, Purple's pointed fingers were no good against a knife. Black's eyes widened as well, but her expression was full of rage. "You basturd." She growled between her gritting teeth. Purple scrambled to a kneeling position, freeing Black of his weight, and the darker Tallest stood. An aura of hatred enveloped her and, despite their equal size, she seemed to dwarf Telkor. The older Tallest smirked and seemed to hold out his arm. He then dug the knife into it and gouged up to his wrist, splattering blood on Black. She flinched for a second but lunged at him, taking the knife. Telkor grabbed her wrist and forced her to stab him in the chest three times, a crazy smile on his face. "Someone! Help! Please!" he called out, imitating Red's voice. Purple gasped, knowing exactly what the older Tallest was about to do.

Purple then moved like a flash of light, shoving Black out of the way before taking the knife and stabbing Telkor through his chest and into his pak. The older Tallest gasped with pain, blood conjuring up in his throat. His coughed up the blood on Purple's shimmering armor and Pur pulled the knife out, watching Telkor transition back to his partner. Red lay in the same position as Telkor, except he hadn't been stabbed in the pak. He opened his eyes and looked up at Purple, obviously confused. Purple helped him up, standing on shaky legs with Black. They turned to the spot where Red had laid and saw a dead Telkor instead. "A fitting end for an Irken so horrid." Black snarled. The Tallests then heard footsteps echo through the hall outside. "Shit! They must've heard him call for help!" Purple hissed, rushing for the door. "Quick, let's get out of here." Black and Purple both grabbed Red's wrists and pulled him toward the door. The exit slid open, only to reveal fully armored guards waiting for them. "Trying to kidnap Purple and Red, huh Black?" said the tallest of the guards, whom was in the front. "We'll see what Zim has to say about that…"


End file.
